This week, the world watched in anticipation for Russia’s Victory Day parade after President Volodymyr Zelensky commented that he could not guarantee the safety of those attending. Meanwhile, the European Union moves one step forward to banning Russian gas from the European continent. It is also revealed this week that U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has fallen out of step with the White House.
"(Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin... doesn't want to have a ceasefire agreement with Ukraine, but rather wants to meet on Thursday, in Turkey, to negotiate a possible end to the bloodbath. Ukraine should agree to this, immediately," U.S. President Donald Trump said.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to to Antalya, Turkey, for a NATO foreign ministers’ meeting from May 14–16, where he is expected to address the war in Ukraine and push for stronger Allied defense commitments.
The Kremlin said the leaders held a detailed discussion about the Russian initiative and Erdogan expressed full support, reiterating Turkey’s readiness to provide a venue and assist in organizing the negotiations.
Erdogan told Macron that international cooperation is critical for initiating peace negotiations and the "sensitive implementation" of Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction processes, the Turkish Presidency reported.
The assault began around 2 a.m. on May 11, with Russian forces deploying 108 Shahed-type attack drones and decoy UAVs from multiple directions, Ukraine’s Air Force said.
"Think of the hundreds of thousands of lives that will be saved as this never ending 'bloodbath' hopefully comes to an end... I will continue to work with both sides to make sure that it happens."
President Volodymyr Zelensky and Finnish President Sauli Niinisto attend a joint press conference in Helsinki, Finland, on May 3, 2023. (Vesa Moilanen / Lehtikuva / AFP via Getty Images)
President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked his Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinisto and the Finnish government for a new military aid package for Ukraine announced on Nov. 17.
Finland will send Ukraine 100 million euros worth of military aid in its 20th package to the country since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, the Finnish Defense Ministry said in a statement on its website.
Finland has already sent 1.5 billion euros worth of military aid to Ukraine, Zelensky said on X.
"This support strengthens not just Ukraine but also the security of Finland and the rest of our Europe," he wrote.
As was the case with previous packages provided by Finland, details on the content and the mode of delivery are not disclosed for security reasons.
The previous package, worth 95 million euros ($101 million), was announced on Oct. 11.
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Abbey Fenbert
